dog food

[loves2travel]

what is good food to feed dogs?
is iams ok?

[loves2travel]

what do all of you feed your dogs/puppies??? Mncavylover? Others with dogs?

[VoodooJoint]

Originally Posted by loves2travel

what is good food to feed dogs?
is iams ok?

Iams is a HORRIBLE animal abusing company. DO NOT use their food.
http://www.iamscruelty.com/

As a rule of thumb any dog food (or other pet food) that you can buy in a grocery store or Walmart type store is crap.

You need to get your food from a feed and grain type setup or specialty pet product store. Good foods made by good companies include:

Nutro (My dogs get Nutro Natural Lamb and Rice)
Eagle
Flint River
Back to Basics
Wellness

Those are just a few. Kibble by itself is not an appropriate food for your dog. To really give your dog a healthy diet you should include live enzymes (these are found in fresh/raw (never frozen) fruit, veggies and meat). Also include some yogurt. Papaya is wonderful for dogs as it is chock full of enzymes.

This is a great dane site but her recomendations for feeding are fabulous. Some of the stuff may seem wierd (or dangerous...like the raw boney chicken) but please believe me it has made all of my dogs very healthy and I know many, many others who feed this same way with fabulous results.
http://www.greatdanelady.com/article...ng_program.htm

[loves2travel]

wow....i had no idea that their diets were so complex! most people i know who have dogs just feed dry food! can you send me a pm with more details. im really interested in this. thanks!

[sofiemuffins]

I know someone who also feeds their dogs raw chickens necks! =( yucky!

I think our dogs (well my sister in-laws) eat science diet. Is that good?

We feed our cats Nutro. I've heard good things about this brand

[VoodooJoint]

Originally Posted by loves2travel

wow....i had no idea that their diets were so complex! most people i know who have dogs just feed dry food! can you send me a pm with more details. im really interested in this. thanks!

I will be happy to share all I know. However I would rather post the info here for all to see and benefit from if that is ok with you?

I will post the info a little later. I'm about to leave the house to take my daughter to her riding lesson.

[VoodooJoint]

Originally Posted by sofiemuffins

I know someone who also feeds their dogs raw chickens necks! =( yucky!

I think our dogs (well my sister in-laws) eat science diet. Is that good?

We feed our cats Nutro. I've heard good things about this brand

Science Diet is okay. Not great. S.D. Makes great cat food but the dog food is not so great.

Nutro is excellent for dogs and cats. I have nothing but good things to say about it.

More later as I'm about to leave the house.

[silkerlover]

What about purina? that's what we feed my dog

[My Baby Mu]

I feed my dog Nutro Max mini chunk. It helps the skin and coat. My dog has dry skin and she gets "schnauzer zits" we call them. They are bumps on the back and are just there. It only affects schnauzer though.

What kind of dogs do you all have and what are the names?
Mine is a White Miniature Schnauzer named Diamond.

[My Baby Mu]

Dogs don't need Vitamin C they don't need you to feed them it because they make their own. The only two animals that need to be fead vitamin C is guinea pigs and humans.

[TinaFabulous]

Natures Recipe, Lamb and rice, its not the greatest but its puppy formula is small enough kibbles for my now 2lb maltese pup to chew and swallow... Lol I really cant be of much help with this one

I know eukanuba (sp?) is good, i think its in like a pink/purple bag and is great stuff. Also Ive herd great things about science diet which is what I will be switching to most likely.

[VoodooJoint]

Sorry this is so long, but you asked....

Here are ways to tell a decent kibble for your dogs (silkerlover- sorry but most Purina foods are not very good. Purina One (metallic red bag) is okay...but falls short of my "good" rating).

#1 ingredient must be meat (not "by-products but actual meat). Beware of the meat followed by 3 or 4 grain ingredient. Add up the grains and the main ingredient is no longer meat. Avoid Ground corn like the plague. Corn is not digestible in dogs. Avoid wheat, many dogs are allergic to wheat.

Examples of first 4 ingredient in some popular dog foods followed by my rating (Great, Good, Okay, Awful):

Purina Kibbles and Chunks - Ground yellow corn, ground wheat, soybean meal, beef and bone meal - Awful http://www.purina.com/home.asp

Purina One (lamb and rice) -Lamb, brewers rice, oat meal, corn gluten meal - Okay

http://www.purina.com/home.asp



Nutro Natural Lamb and Rice - Lamb Meal, Ground Rice, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Poultry Fat - Good/Great

http://www.nutroproducts.com

Nutro Max - Chicken Meal, Wheat Flour, Ground Whole Wheat, Rice Bran, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Corn Gluten Meal,- Okay (too much wheat and corn for my liking) http://www.nutroproducts.com



Science Diet Adult Original - Chicken, corn meal, ground grain sorghum, ground wheat, - Okay

http://www.hillspet.com/zSkin_1/owne...1025487 04561



Wellness/Solid Gold - Lamb, Lamb Meal, White Fish, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Barley, - Great http://caninestore.theshoppe.com/_we...e_index_2.html

There are others. Go to the pet store well informed and you are bound to come out with something great. If you are getting a puppy then most of the recommended types of dog food companies make great puppy formulas. DO NOT fall into the trap of getting a Giant breed type dog (like a Great Dane mix) Large Breed puppy food. Giant breeds actually need much lower protein when they are growing then any other breed of dog (yes, the commercials are WAY wrong).

My dogs also get with their food:

-Raw chicken necks and backs with the bones...I know, I know. Chicken bones are bad for dogs. The fact is COOKED chicken bones are bad for dogs...they splinter. Raw chicken bones are fine as they do not splinter and are digestible to dogs...really...I did a lot of research on this.

-A raw egg (shell and all).

-About ½ - 1 cup of fresh pureed fruit and veggies. Content varies day by day but usually it’s apples, carrots, bell peppers, parsley, tomato, summer squash, peas, green beans, zucchini, grapes, papaya, etc... (no potatoes or onion. I always add fresh garlic to the puree and sometimes chicken or beef stock (makes it yummier to the dogs and the garlic is really good for them)

- a dollop of plain yogurt (fruit or vanilla flavors are fine too).

-Nzymes - natural Enzymes in tables or powder form...This product cured my dog’s allergies, got rid of another’s "hot spots" and helped with their hip dysplacia immensely! GREAT PRODUCT!!!!

http://nzymes.com/

-A heaping Tablespoon or two of a quality wet dog food with a little water to help make a gravy.

-Sometimes I add Grapeseed oil but it’s not always necessary.

Mix it all together and your dog will LOVE it’s meals and be the heathiest you have ever seen. It’s breath won’t smell. It’s poop will be firmer and less smelly, It’s coat will be shiny and shed less, the skin will be healthy and, once again, not smell.

The amount of each ingredient varies with your size and type of dog. A dog who has never been fed this type of diet may get upset tummy and diarrhea at first so wean them onto it.

[VoodooJoint]

Originally Posted by My Baby Mu

Dogs don't need Vitamin C they don't need you to feed them it because they make their own. The only two animals that need to be fead vitamin C is guinea pigs and humans.

I don't understand why you said this? You are correct Dogs do not need Vit C however unlike cats, dogs are omnivores. They eat meat and plant. Therefore they should be fed some plants as part as a healthy, natural diet. There is more good stuff in veggies and fruits then just Vit C.

[loves2travel]

thanks soo much voodoojoint

[cinn&sprinslave]

Originally Posted by voodoojoint

Science Diet is okay. Not great. S.D. Makes great cat food but the dog food is not so great.

Nutro is excellent for dogs and cats. I have nothing but good things to say about it.

More later as I'm about to leave the house.

Science Diet is not good cat food, it's first ingrediant is corn meal and not meat. And the first ingediant should be meat. At least that is what my vet told me. My vet doesn't even know why it is so 'reccomended' when they use corn meal as the first ingrediant.

Well as you know through a PM loves2travel, I fed my dog Natures Recipe and Ekanuba. I tried Royal Canine but she didn't like it.

[loves2travel]

ok, i think i am going to do this. one of the dry kibble, then the other things yousaid, all pureed together. the only thing i might not be able to do is the chicken bones......do you think this is ok? and also grapeseed oil...i might needd to leave that out too.